At least 66 killed as fire engulfs Turkey ski resort

A fire engulfed a hotel at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Turkey early yesterday, killing at least 66 people, the interior minister said.

The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3.27am, officials said.

Witnesses said desperate guests had tried to escape using ropes, footage showed bedsheets hanging from the windows, and media reports suggest some had died after trying to jump to safety from the hotel's windows.

The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170 kilometers northwest of the capital Ankara.

The fire, which is believed to have started in the restaurant at around midnight, spread quickly. It was not immediately clear what caused it.

Huge plumes of smoke could be seen rising into the sky with a snowcapped mountain behind the hotel. Part of it backs onto a cliff, making it harder for firefighters to tackle the blaze.

"I heard screams around midnight, as hotel residents were shouting for help," Baris Salgur, who works at a nearby hotel, said.

"They asked for a blanket, saying they will jump. We brought rope, pillows, we brought a sofa. Some people threw themselves once the flames approached them."

Authorities warned the building could collapse.

A survivor who managed to escape the flames said no alarms rang at the hotel when the fire started, complaining about the lack of safety measures.

Some 238 guests were registered as staying at the hotel, a peak time during a two-week school holiday. Those evacuated were rehoused in nearby hotels.

Agence France-Presse